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Boeing won’t let battery overheating stop its 787s

Fri, 15 Mar 2013 11:45:00 +0000

TOKYO (AP) — Boeing said Friday it sees commercial flights of its grounded 787 jets resuming "within weeks" even though it has not pinpointed the cause of battery overheating.

Boeing Co. Chief Project Engineer Michael Sinnett outlined a fix centered on a new design for the lithium-ion battery system that has layers of safeguards to prevent overheating and measures to contain malfunctions.

"We could be back up and going in weeks and not months," Sinnett told reporters at a Tokyo hotel. A third of safety tests have already been completed. A Japanese official said it was possible flights could resume next month.

The 787 fleet was grounded worldwide by the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration, its counterparts in Japan and other nations in January, following a battery fire in a Dreamliner parked in Boston and an overheated battery that led to an emergency landing of another 787 in Japan.

All Nippon Airways, a major Japanese carrier, was the launch customer for the technologically advanced Dreamliner planes. With Japan Airlines another customer, about half the 787 jets in use are with Japanese carriers.

FAA grounds Boeing 787 Dreamliner

Wed, 16 Jan 2013 23:50:00 +0000

The Federal Aviation Administration has ordered the grounding of Boeing 787 Dreamliners following a battery fire in Japan:

The agency said it would:

Issue an emergency airworthiness directive (AD) to address a potential battery fire risk in the 787 and require operators to temporarily cease operations. Before further flight, operators of U.S.-registered, Boeing 787 aircraft must demonstrate to the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) that the batteries are safe...

“The battery failures resulted in release of flammable electrolytes, heat damage, and smoke on two Model 787 airplanes. The root cause of these failures is currently under investigation. These conditions, if not corrected, could result in damage to critical systems and structures, and the potential for fire in the electrical compartment.Last Friday, the FAA announced a comprehensive review of the 787’s critical systems with the possibility of further action pending new data and information.

There was another on-the-ground battery fire earlier this month in Boston.

The planes, which have been hailed as the future of commercial aviation because of their low fuel consumption, represent a huge bet for Boeing against its primary rival Airbus. Boeing is one of corporate America's largest exporters by value.

United is currently the only U.S. airline operating the Dreamliner.

Emergency landing grounds Boeing 787 jets in Japan

Wed, 16 Jan 2013 13:43:00 +0000

TOKYO (AP) — Japan's two biggest airlines grounded all their Boeing 787 aircraft for safety checks Wednesday after one was forced to make an emergency landing in the latest blow for the new jet.

All Nippon Airways said a cockpit message showed battery problems and a burning smell was detected in the cockpit and the cabin, forcing the 787 on a domestic flight to land at Takamatsu airport in western Japan.

The 787, known as the Dreamliner, is Boeing's newest and most technologically advanced jet, and the company is counting heavily on its success. Since its launch, which came after delays of more than three years, the plane has been plagued by a series of problems including a battery fire and fuel leaks. Japan's ANA and Japan Airlines are major customers for the jet and among the first to fly it.

Japan's transport ministry said it received notices from ANA, which operates 17 of the jets, and Japan Airlines, which has seven, that all their 787s would not be flying. The grounding was done voluntarily by the airlines.

The earliest manufactured jets of any new aircraft usually have problems and airlines run higher risks in flying them first, said Brendan Sobie, Singapore-based chief analyst at CAPA-Center for Aviation. Since about half the 787 fleet is in Japan, more problems are cropping up there.

Problems mount for Boeing Dreamliner

Wed, 09 Jan 2013 13:25:00 +0000

BOSTON — A Boeing 787 was towed back to the gate for evaluation Tuesday after about 40 gallons of fuel spilled from an outbound Japan Airlines flight to Tokyo in the second incident involving the airliner at Logan International Aiport in two days.

Massachusetts Port Authority spokesman Richard Walsh said the plane had 178 passengers and 11 crew members on board.

A Japan Airlines spokeswoman said the crew had reported a “mechanical issue.” The noon flight was rescheduled for mid-afternoon departure.

On Monday, a fire broke out in a battery pack in the belly of a different Japan Airlines Boeing 787, filling the cabin with smoke minutes after passengers disembarked.

The National Transportation Safety Board said Tuesday it was sending two more investigators to Boston to examine the plane that caught fire. The NTSB says the battery had “severe fire damage.”

Boeing says the problem that caused Monday’s fire appears to be unrelated to previous electrical problems on the 787.

How Boeing got away with breaking the law

Mon, 12 Dec 2011 18:38:00 +0000

Republicans won’t have the National Labor Relations Board's case against Boeing to kick around anymore – though no doubt they’ll keep flogging its corpse. On Friday, the NLRB announced it was dropping its most famous investigation in years. The union that had brought the case, the International Association of Machinists, asked the NLRB to relent following a compromise reached with management. The IAM is touting its deal as a better alternative than pursuing the NLRB case. They’re right – which is a damning measure of how poorly the Obama administration defends workers’ human rights.

At a time of high unemployment and stagnating wages, the Boeing case shows why it is so hard for workers to collect a larger share of national income. It highlights Republicans' resolute defense of law-breaking big business, and President Obama's lack of equivalent fire in defense of the 99 percent. Obama expresses sympathy for the occupation movement But in a case where he might have actually done something for the people who do America's work, he passed.